


Dionysus

by MoonyBandit



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BDSM, Bondage, Canon Divergence, Flogging, Gen, Impact Play, Kink, M/M, Munches, Mutual Pining, Safewords, Sex Work, Slow Burn, characters are younger than in canon, d/s dynamics, more plot with slightly less porn, radio talk show au, sadism and masochism, watersports mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-12 08:57:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15336357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonyBandit/pseuds/MoonyBandit
Summary: Caleb Widogast has a few extra communications credits to complete before he can secure his Master's degree, and so earns them by hosting a lifestyle talk show on the campus radio of the University of San Junipero. April is Pride Month at the school and each episode brings a new guest to talk about some aspect of Pride they identify with. The last thing Caleb expects is for anyone to volunteer to talk about Kink and BDSM on live broadcast, let alone an obnoxiously colorful tiefling with far too many tattoos and a beautiful smile.Hello friends it is I, the author of Moonstruck, back again with more fic because this is how I cope with fandom tragedy: write happy AUs like a rabid maniac and aggressively ignore canon. Welcome to the Radio Show AU. Tags will be updated as chapters are posted.





	1. Vibes

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to @RebornFromSeas for coming up with the title of this fic, and to @AiraKay for beta'ing this first chapter for me!

Jingling jewelry draped over a pair of horns echoed softly in the empty brick and tile hallway. There were no windows, only fluorescent lights that would occasionally glint off some of the crystal baubles in a way that made colorful patterns reflect on the walls. The steady  _ click, clack, click  _ of heeled shoes strolling leisurely down the hallway punctuated each jingle, and if not for the fact that no-one was there to hear it,  it might have almost sounded like a somewhat musical procession.

A door clicked open, and the jingling held at a pause. Down at the end of the hall stood a man, far enough away that he didn’t notice the tall, brightly colored Tiefling watching him as he shuffled with some papers and stuck one to what was presumably a bulletin board. The man fussed about with the spota bit more before he stood back, looked over his work, and tucked a loose strand of ginger hair behind his ear. Then he disappeared just as quickly as he’d come back through the door, which he shut behind him.

Mollymauk Tealeaf stood still for a moment longer, bewildered by the man who was definitely  _ not _ in class at the moment, but also probably not a professor either. And it was in that moment of stillness that several papers on the bulletin board simultaneously came loose and fluttered to the floor barely thirty seconds after they had been pinned in place.

The Tiefling rolled his eyes and sighed, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he continued down the hallway to approach the pile of fallen papers. So what if he was missing his polisci class? The professor was a shit, and it wasn’t like anyone would be tracking his ass down all the way to the communications building just to ream him for skipping another lecture.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Molly bent down and scooped the papers into his hands, then stood back up to look at the display. It was indeed a bulletin board, and across the top in large cutout letters was written “THE WARREN: USJ RADIO BROADCAST NETWORK.” Red eyes scanned the area, found a scattering of unused magnets, and spaces to return the fliers to. Molly straightened the papers in his hands and started replacing them in their rightful spots, even if they might’ve been in a different order than they were originally. One by one they were trapped back under the magnets and left for all to see.

The last paper, however, gave him pause as he glanced at what was actually written on it. It was a signup sheet, with eight different boxes for names and emails to be written under. There was a simple description at the top as to what it was for.

“APRIL IS PRIDE MONTH AT USJ!!! What does PRIDE mean to you? Come talk about it on DESERT VIBES, The Warren’s very own Lifestyle and Culture show for students, by students. Sign up today to join the episode featuring a subject that gives you PRIDE!”

Each box had a different topic—Nonbinary Identities; Bears, Otters, and Cubs, Oh My!; Leather Lingo; Ace Awareness—but the second box from the top on the left was the one that caught Molly’s eye.

“Friday, April 8 th – KINK and BDSM”

He raised an eyebrow, not quite believing what he was seeing—but then Molly swung his bag around from his shoulder and dug for a pen. None of the boxes had even been filled out yet, so it was a fair guess that this was the paper the red-haired man had been trying to hang, and Molly was rather stupidly grinning at the idea of being the first.

Pen in hand, he held the paper against the board as he quickly scribbled his name and email under the second box. He placed the magnet back on it to hold it in place, then stepped back with a profuse sense of satisfaction. Maybe fate put him in Communications that day. Maybe the Gods really were rewarding him for skipping out on that stupid lecture. Maybe karma was just smiling down on him. But whatever the reason, Mollymauk Tealeaf was gonna go on live radio and talk about just what he knew best, and not even a frothy-mouthed political professor was gonna keep him from that.

 

* * *

 

 

When the email suddenly appeared in his inbox the following Tuesday, Molly had practically forgotten that he’d even written his name anywhere at all. He didn’t recognize the sending address, and if it weren’t for the university client handle, he might’ve just dropped it in junk without a second thought. As it were, though, he clicked open the message from cawidogast@usj.edu and read it over.

“Hello,

You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in being interviewed on DESERT LIFE, a bi-weekly broadcast on The Warren university radio network. Next week’s topic of discussion is KINK AND BDSM as part of our PRIDE MONTH-focused series of shows. If you are still interested in being interviewed on this topic, please respond to this email with the following information:

-Your NAME, YEAR or POSITION, and AGE

-Your level of EXPERIENCE or INVOLVEMENT with the topic at hand

-Are you available to come to The Warren broadcasting studio on FRIDAY, APRIL 8TH from 5:30 to 7:30 in the evening?

-Are you comfortable with being broadcasted live over the university radio station, which is accessible for listening by students, faculty, and local residents?

-If you are not chosen for this week’s discussion, would you still like to be considered for future discussions based on your responses to this email?

Please respond to this email no later than 9:00AM on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6TH. Thank you again for your interest in being part of DESERT LIFE.

Sincerely,

**Caleb Widogast**

_ Master’s Candidate - Ancient European History _

_ Radio Host - Desert Vibes _ ”

 

Molly blinked at his computer screen, then grinned. He had no way of knowing how many people had signed up for this interview, but getting this email could only mean he was one step closer to his moment in the spotlight. He glanced at his clock—he had twenty minutes till auditions started—there was plenty of time to reply.

“Hi Caleb! I’m so happy you sent me this email, I’m super excited for this show. :) I’m Mollymauk Tealeaf, I’m a senior Theater Arts major, and I’m 22. I’m totally free this Friday! Oh yeah about me, duh: I’ve been kinky since I was like, uhh thirteen or something and I work at Club Revelry as a Demonstrator and Stage Dancer, you know the one on Willow Street. I’m also part of the local Kink Community and help run Munches sometimes as a Safety Officer. I’m pretty sure half this town knows me from work by now so I don’t really care who hears the broadcast!!! And yeah I guess I’m happy to talk about anything, but this is my area of expertise. ;) Thanks again!

XOXO

Molly”

He hit send, made sure the email went through, and then quickly slung his bag over his shoulder when he noticed the time. Molly slammed his laptop shut and dashed out of his dorm, banging the door closed behind him without a second thought. He might be a little late to auditions, but he knew the show just wouldn’t go on without him, so nerves were the last thing on his mind.

All he could think about for the rest of the day was spreading the good kinky word, and maybe drawing in a few more tipping customers to the bar. It would be all the better if he could convert some vanillas along the way.

 

* * *

 

 

Caleb Widogast had not been expecting such an immediate response to the mass follow-up email he had sent to those who had joined the sign-up sheet, but less than ten minutes after sending out that week’s inquiry, his computer pinged with the notification of an email received. He shuffled back over to the work station from where he’d been leaning against the counter stirring cream into his coffee, taking the mug with him. He slid into his seat and quickly pushed on his reading glasses to see what he’d been sent.

**“New Reply From: motealeaf@usj.edu 01:36pm”**

Caleb clicked open the email and scanned it over. Mollymauk Tealeaf, the first name in the box for Kink and BDSM. He furrowed his brows reading over the details—who even used text emojis in academic correspondence? They were only two years apart in age, surely it couldn’t make  _ that _ much of a difference.

At the mention of the club, Caleb clicked open a new tab in his browser. A quick Google search led to a  sleek website in shades of red and grey dotted with pictures and white text. The logo at the top of the page sported what looked like a standard hurricane glass for a cocktail, but instead of a cute little umbrella, a Cat O’ Nine-Tails was perched leaning against the rim. Caleb frowned and read the slogan text below it.

“WELCOME TO CLUB REVELRY – HOME OF DANCE, DESIRE, AND DEVILRY”

Caleb snorted and rolled his eyes at the alliteration and rhyme—it would have been clever if it weren’t so corny. He scrolled down the page, past pictures of the club space, and a few images from events earlier in the year. He felt his cheeks heating up as he looked—None of the pictures were explicit by any means, but a large wooden St. Andrew’s Cross with cuffs attached at each point featured in several of them. There were exotic dancers in tall iron-barred cages, the floors beneath them lit up to throw dark shadows on their forms. An image of the balcony level even showed a set of manacles attached to chains that were hanging from the ceiling, and Caleb felt himself shiver as he tried not to think about what those might be used for.

He clicked to the ‘About’ page, giving it a quick once-over. There was a brief description and history of the club—an “Establishment for the exploration of sexual and romantic deviancy through dance and drink, with performances and demonstrations from professionals trained in a variety of pleasurable acts, proudly serving the greater San Junipero area for twenty-three years.”

Caleb could  _ feel _ the redness coloring his ears now, but he wanted to be absolutely sure he knew what he would be getting himself into in this interview. At the bottom of the page was a picture of a group of people that was labeled as “Team Revelry”. A masculine Tiefling with dark red skin and short, inward-curved horns poking through slicked-back black hair stood in the middle, dressed in an immaculate black suit and with a broad smile that showed a set of pointed fangs. Caleb assumed he was the manager, and he was surrounded by a diverse cast of employees, all dressed in some variation of the same uniform—a classy dress shirt of any bright color of the rainbow with silver cufflinks and the sleeves rolled halfway up their arms, a black tie, black slacks, and any assortment of silver jewelry.

There were humans, elves and half-elves, even two dwarves that looked like twins, a particularly tall and pale woman who didn’t quite look like she belonged in the picture, and a half-orc man. And, of course, there were three other Tieflings: a bustier woman with blue skin and hair, curved horns, and a smile brighter than the sun; a tall, slender, masculine mint-green one with long white hair and horns that pointed straight up like an antelope, smiling rather shyly; and the third, not quite as tall as the second, but with lavender skin and curly, plum-colored hair. He sported black ram horns that were bedecked with all manner of jewelry and baubles, and if Caleb squinted closely at the picture, it looked as though he had a number of tattoos from his cheek to his chest to all down his exposed arms. He was wearing a bright blue dress shirt and was smiling just as brightly as the Tiefling woman, with his arm comfortably slung around his taller companion. A colorful group, to be sure.

Satisfied, Caleb clicked back to the tab with the email. He didn’t know what these ‘munches’ were or why they needed safety officers, but perhaps he would learn those things by the end of the week if this Mr. Tealeaf did indeed come on the air. He hesitated a moment, weighing his options—the other three people who had expressed interest in this topic had yet to respond to his email, and maybe they would be even more experienced (or mature, Gods willing). But on the other hand… Mr. Tealeaf was clearly being paid to know what he was doing in this particular subject. Might as well extend the offer.

Caleb leaned back in his seat a bit, flexed his fingers, and clicked the button to compose a reply.

“Hello Mr. Tealeaf,

Thank you for responding to my email so quickly. I appreciate your haste, and from what you have told me, I am happy to offer you the official invitation to come and speak on Desert Vibes this Friday on the topic of Kink and BDSM. You may be speaking with an additional guest, pending the responses from other interested parties. The show is broadcast live for one hour, from 6pm to 7pm. If that is not a problem, please arrive at the campus broadcasting studio in COM 207 at 5:30pm. Bottled water will be available, and snacks can be provided upon request. Thank you again for your interest.

Sincerely,

**Caleb Widogast**

_ Master’s Candidate – Ancient European History _

_ Radio Host – Desert Vibes” _

Caleb hit send, sipped from his coffee, and glanced at the time. Fifteen minutes left until he could leave for his next class. The time couldn’t come soon enough.

 

* * *

 

 

When Caleb returned to his dorm that evening, he checked his inbox again to find a small handful of emails. Most of them were quiz and assignment reminders, but one was from another of the people he had contacted off the signup sheet, and another was a reply from one Mr. Mollymauk Tealeaf. Caleb considered the two for a moment and decided to read the newer one first. He already knew that Mr. Tealeaf was more than ready and willing to be part of the broadcast, so the possibility of having another guest on had more of his interest at the moment.

“Hello Mr. Widogast,

My name’s Craig Johnson and I’m one of the university volleyball coaches. I’m 38, but I’m guessing that doesn’t matter too much since you now know that I’m not a student. My wife introduced me to that book series just last fall, “50 Shades of Gray”, and we both just loved it so much we started to incorporate it into our own lives. It’s been such a great experience, I’d love to talk about it on your show. I’m available all Friday evening and want to get the good word out to as many people as I can. I could certainly talk about some other subjects in the future too, if you’d like. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Craig H. Johnson, Jackalope Volleyball Coach”

Caleb could practically feel his brain melting out through his ears as he read through the email. He desperately wished he could delete it and pretend he’d never even seen it, but he knew he’d never hear the end of it from Beau for giving in to his bad habits. Besides, he’d promised Professor Felid that he’d be professional with this show, no matter how painful it sometimes felt. He clicked the reply button with a resigned sigh.

“Dear Mr. Johnson,

Thank you for your interest in being part of the Desert Vibes broadcast. At this time, we have already filled the interview spots for this week’s discussion on Kink and BDSM. If there are future topics that you would be interested in discussing, please do not hesitate to reach out and we will have you at the top of our list. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

**Caleb Widogast**

_ Master’s Candidate – Ancient European History _

_ Radio Host – Desert Vibes” _

There. That would do it. A polite rejection that gave no hint as to just how much that email had made his stomach turn. With that weight off his mind, Caleb clicked open the email from Mr. Tealeaf and glanced over it. As expected, he was still just as enthusiastic about the show as before and agreed to all of Caleb’s terms and requests. He even made it known how particularly excited he was about the prospect of snacks. Easy. Caleb could call it a night right then. He had a confirmed guest and that was the most important part.

He shut his laptop and rolled away from his desk, setting his glasses down before he rubbed his eyes with a yawn. He was apprehensive about the upcoming topic of discussion, but at least he wouldn’t have to drone on about new movies for an hour again. For now, all he had to worry about was getting enough sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Friday evening found Mollymauk Tealeaf back in the Communications building just past 5:30pm, looking over the exact same message board he’d reassembled the week before, just outside room 207. He really wasn’t sure if he was supposed to knock on the door, so instead he hovered awkwardly outside of it, holding his messenger bag close. He would be heading to work right after the show was over, so his uniform was haphazardly tucked inside. He shuffled from foot to foot, hesitant, then finally reached out to knock on the door. No sooner had he done so then a muffled voice called out from inside, colored with an accent he’d heard on the school radio before.

“Ja ja, just a second!”

Molly took a breath and stepped back, and a moment later the door opened to reveal the same ginger man he’d seen posting the sign-up sheet in the first place. He was a few inches shorter than Molly, dressed in what looked like a slightly-too-large grey t-shirt covered by a dark brown cardigan with—were those  _ elbow patches? _ He wore somewhat baggy black jeans, and a very scuffed up pair of shoes, and he was looking at Molly with just the slightest air of confusion.

“Hi there! I’m Mollymauk Tealeaf, here for the ah, interview? With Desert Vibes?” the tiefling said, putting on his most winning smile. He watched as the man blinked and recognition dawned in his eyes, his expression shifting quickly as he opened the door wide.

“Oh! Oh ja, hallo! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tealeaf—I’m Caleb Widogast, the host of Desert Vibes, and ah, you may call me Caleb,” he stated, extending a hand to shake. Molly took it, his grin holding more naturally now, though he noticed that Caleb wasn’t quite making eye contact as they shook hands. Interesting.

“Well it’s lovely to meet you, Caleb. And please, call me Molly. I’m sure we’ll be friends in no time.”

Caleb offered an awkward smile and a nod in return, then stepped to the side to gesture for Molly to enter the broadcasting studio. The tiefling stepped through the doorway into a rather small rectangular room that had individual computers on hanging desks along three of the walls. The fourth wall, immediately to his right, was more soundproof window than wall. Through the glass, he could see into a tight recording space that had just enough room for a small desk with three chairs around it and a microphone dropping down from the ceiling.

There was a table pushed up against the window on the outside of the recording space with a massive soundboard sitting on top of it. A very familiar woman in a loose, sleeveless tank top was currently bent over it, fiddling with the knobs and buttons, a large set of headphones over her ears. Caleb cleared his throat and knocked on the table, causing the woman to look up and remove her headphones, taking in Molly’s appearance with a look of surprise.

“Ah, Beauregard, this is—”

“Molly! Dude! What’s up!?” Beau interrupted, and Molly grinned with a lash of his tail.

“Oh, didn’t you know? I’m here for the interview.”

“Aww fuckin—of  _ course _ you are, you lil’ shit. I shoulda known when Caleb told me he got somebody from Revelry!”

“The one and only,” Molly said with a purr, and he made a little flourish with his hand as he gave a showy bow. He straightened back up to see Caleb looking between the two of them with a surprised, owlish gaze.

“You two, ah, know each other?” he asked, his voice uncertain. Beau turned to him then, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah I know this asshole. ‘Member how I do sound gigs at bars n’ shit sometimes? Revelry is one of ‘em.”

Caleb gave a little “Oh,” in response, but didn’t otherwise seem to have an opinion, which Molly took as a good sign.

“Oh yes, we just love our little trashbag lesbian techie,” he teased, earning him a tongue stuck out from Beau, which he responded to with a middle finger and a grin. Caleb snorted, and Molly turned to see him shaking his head, his ears turning a bit pink as he tried to hide a smile at their antics. Oh, now that was cute.

Caleb cleared his throat again when he noticed Molly watching and straightened his posture. “Alright, so, I don’t have to worry about introductions then. Which leaves me to explain the rules.”

Molly bit back a groan of disappointment—rules were always so boring, even when he knew they were necessary. If Caleb noticed, he paid no mind to it and continued in his explanation.

“This is a publicly-accessible radio station, and while it is meant specifically to cater to campus residents, anyone within the greater San Junipero area can be a listener. Please try to keep profanity to a minimum. I am very much aware we are going to be discussing… a sensitive topic. But I ask that you keep your language as professional as possible and, ah, perhaps avoid speaking on anything blatantly sexual? If that is possible. Um.” Caleb was blushing a rosy pink now, and his gaze was focused decidedly on a point over Molly’s shoulder.

“I ah… I admit, I am not very familiar with this topic myself, uhm… but, I trust that you are learned enough to uh, explain things clearly to our viewers. Pretend as though you are explaining kink and BDSM to someone who has never heard of it before.”

Molly’s grin softened a bit to be less flashy and friendlier instead. Oh, Caleb. Sweet, innocent vanilla man. Molly was gonna show him a whole new world tonight and it was going to be  _ great _ . “You got it. Simple and clean. Oh—is anyone else gonna be talking tonight too?”

Caleb shook his head. “No, you’re the only one. One person never replied and the other two were… not as knowledgeable as you. So, you are the star tonight.”

“Perfect, happy to share my expertise!” Molly clapped his hands and his tail whipped back and forth with excitement.

Caleb nodded and released a soft breath. “Alright, good, good. So. Are we ready to begin then?” He asked, and Molly nodded enthusiastically. “Good. Beau?”

The woman nodded, having slid her headphones back on. “Good to go, chief.”

“Fantastisch.” He turned and opened the door that led to the recording booth. “Guests of honor first,” he said, motioning to Molly, who stepped through the door happily. He took a seat at the little desk without being asked, and once Caleb had closed the door behind them, he sat opposite to Mollymauk. 

There were two water bottles at the center of the desk and a few snacks, though Molly noticed all of them were soft—fruits, unwrapped chocolates, cheeses—nothing that could crunch loudly enough to be picked up by the microphone. He grabbed a single strawberry and popped it in his mouth with a hum. Sweet, soft, and he made sure that Caleb caught a glimpse of his forked tongue as he licked the juice from his lips, causing the man to blush. He was going to have fun with this one.

Caleb cleared his throat and looked through the glass at Beau, who counted them in. “Alright, Mr. Mollymauk. We are live in three… two… one…”


	2. Rack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *stands on a table with a dinky megaphone and shouts in a shitty Molly impression* HI KIDS TODAY I'M GONNA LEARN YOU AAAAALL ABOUT HOW TO BE A GOOD KINKSTER HAVE FUN

“Good evening, listeners, and welcome to Desert Vibes, USJ’s very own lifestyle show produced by students, for students. April is Pride Month here on campus, and as such we are taking the month to feature guests who are able to talk about what different identities and orientations mean to them. I’m your host, Caleb Widogast, and tonight I have a special guest here with me to discuss this week’s topic, Kink and BDSM. Molly, would you like to introduce yourself?” The moment the ‘On Air’ sign lit up, Caleb slipped into a carefully practiced, calm and professional persona, his tone even and politely charismatic in a demure sort of way. He gestured for Molly to lean into the microphone a bit, sitting back himself, and the tiefling did so.

“Yes, hello! I’m Mollymauk Tealeaf, I’m 22 and I’m a Theater Arts major in my senior year. I work at Club Revelry, the kink club down on Willow Street, so if you’ve ever been there before I’m sure you’ll have seen me around—I’m the purple one,”he said with a laugh, his eyes twinkling.

That comment managed to pull a small chuckle from Caleb, and he leaned forward a bit again in his seat. “Thank you, Mollymauk. Now, while some of our listeners may be familiar with your area of expertise and what you do at the club, I’m sure there are quite a few more folks in our audience who have no idea what BDSM is. Would you be able to explain that in simple terms for someone unfamiliar?”

Molly gave a contented hum, clearly relaxing into the space and routine with ease. “Absolutely, Caleb! So the acronym ‘BDSM’ actually has several meanings for each letter, and they’re usually introduced in pairs. The first, the B and the D, are for Bondage and Discipline. Now when I say Bondage, I’m referring to any kind of play that involves restraints. This can mean anything from one partner instructing the other not to move part of their body, like their arms, and can even go as far as completely immobilizing the submissive participant in a solid steel device.”

Caleb’s eyes widened at that. “Ah, wow, that sounds like quite a lot. And the discipline aspect? Is that like, a teacher lecturing a misbehaving student? Or spankings?”

Molly chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Well, the type of discipline inflicted upon a submissive is defined entirely by that person and the one dealing out the punishment, Caleb. For some submissives, the humiliation of a lecture is more than enough discipline. Some prefer spankings, for sure. Others might not be allowed to touch themselves for a certain length of time, or be made to perform a task they dislike. Every submissive is different, and the type of discipline varies just as much as you and I differ from each other.”

“Ah. I… I see,” Caleb said with a nod, feeling his ears turning a bit pink at the way Molly was smiling at him from across the desk. What on earth kind of wrongdoing would one have to commit to not be allowed to touch themselves? He shook himself slightly, focusing back on the task at hand—now was not the time for his mind to wander.

“Moving on!” Molly chirped, rolling right into the next part of his answer without a moment’s hesitation. “The D and S of BDSM stand for Dominance and Submission. This refers to the core action at the center of almost every BDSM interaction: an exchange of power. Typically, in a BDSM scene, there are two players—one takes the ‘dominant’ role, and the other is the ‘submissive’. This of course isn’t always the case, but the power dynamic is what is essential. The dominant and the submissive will negotiate in great detail how much power is being relinquished and held before engaging in play, and then follow through accordingly in the scene. This doesn’t mean the dominant can do whatever they want to the submissive—for example, if the submissive is asking to be spanked, then it is the dominant’s job to spank them. BUT the dominant may NOT tie up the submissive, or otherwise hit them, unless it is something the submissive has expressly given the dominant permission to do. You follow me?”

“Ja, that makes sense, I think. It’s more of an equal give and take, then? With consent being the most important part?”

“Exactly!” Molly said while flashing Caleb a pleased grin, his tail waving behind him. “You hit the nail on the head. Consent is THE most vital aspect of BDSM. Without clear, explicit consent, a lot of these acts can and will fall under the category of abuse—but I’ll talk more about that a bit later.”

Caleb nodding, returning Molly’s smile a bit. He knew that ’50 Shades’ was a crock of shit, but it was good to hear how important consent was in the scene from a more-or-less professional.

“I’ve got two more letters in the acronym to cover: S & M. I’m sure you’ve heard the Rihanna song before?” Molly asked, grinning playfully. Caleb nodded, forgetting for a split second that listeners wouldn’t be able to see him doing that.

“Of course—‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me?’”

“Yup, that’s the one. But she never actually calls them by name! The S and the M stand for Sadism and Masochism. Now, these are things that aren’t always present in a BDSM scene, but are commonplace enough to be a core part of the acronym. Sadism is the act of someone taking pleasure from inflicting pain on others. It comes from—”

“The Marquis de Sade!” Caleb interrupted, his eyes lighting up a bit at the mention of history. “He was a writer in France in the late 18 th century most known for his works of erotic fiction that emphasized acts of violence and blasphemy.”

Molly looked at him in surprise, but his tail flicked with amusement. “Right you are, Mr. Caleb,” he said with a grin, clearly pleased. “How could I forget you’re going for your Master’s in history?”

Caleb coughed slightly then and cracked open his water bottle to take a swig in order to avoid Molly’s gaze. “Ah, well, my master’s degree is in Ancient European History, but yes, I, ah, spent a whole year of my undergraduate studies researching subversive and influential writers around the times of the American and French Revolutions.”

“Fascinating,” Molly purred, his eyes narrowing just slightly as he seemed to now be studying Caleb with a more defined sort of curiosity. Caleb simply took another swig of his water, hoping Molly would take the cue to fill the silence. “Well, you clearly took the lead on S, so that leaves M: Masochism. Masochism ties right in with sadism because, as you may rightly assume, it’s when someone derives pleasure from their own pain or humiliation. So you have your sadist who loves to hurt people, and your masochist who loves to be hurt, and together you have the potentially perfect recipe for some very intense and passionate scenes.”

Caleb nodded—he already knew the definitions of the words, but the way Molly described them made them feel far less clinical and a lot easier to understand in the context of reality.

“Any further questions about that?” Molly asked as he leaned back in his chair, his tail swishing lazily behind him. Clearly, he felt quite at ease discussing this topic. Caleb felt blessed to have secured such a knowledgeable guest, even if he’d had his reservations at first in regards to Molly’s level of maturity.

“Ah no, I think that covers it. Though I remember you mentioned the importance of consent earlier—would you be able to expand on that?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Molly sat forward a bit in his seat, clearly glad that Caleb had asked, and he leaned back in towards the microphone. “So, next topic, and listen well everybody: I’m gonna tell you aaaall about RACK.”

“Rack?” Caleb asked, tipping his head slightly in confusion. Molly just nodded at him, smiling.

“Yup, RACK! R-A-C-K. It’s another acronym we use, and it stands for Risk Aware Consensual Kink.”

“Ohh…” Caleb nodded, though he didn’t quite understand. Risk aware? Weren’t there already risks involved with sex in general?

“I see you look a little confused,” Molly said with a polite smile, and Caleb thought he should feel embarrassed, but Molly wasn’t chastising him at all. The tiefling folded his hands on the table, and though he was leaned into the microphone, his focus was decidedly on the man interviewing him.

“Allow me to explain. For many, many years, the kink community at large used the phrase ‘Safe, Sane, and Consensual’ in regards to how to ethically engage in play. This has been falling out of favor lately though, for several reasons: First of all, there are hundreds of kinky acts of play that are inherently not safe, no matter how hot you think they are. Asking someone to cut you with knives is never safe. However, if you are asking to be cut with knives and you are  _ aware of the risks _ that are involved with that sort of request, you are acknowledging that you are prepared to accept the consequences if something does go wrong while performing a dangerous act. Make sense?”

Caleb nodded along. “Ja, it does. Knives seem a bit ah, alarming, though…”

Molly simply shrugged. “They’re not for everyone! Different people like different kinds of play. Just because it doesn’t appeal to you, doesn’t mean it’s unappealing to someone else.”

“Right, ja, of course. I would never—I do not intend to shame anyone else’s desires.”

“Of course not.” Molly gave Caleb a smile of reassurance, a particular sort of soft warmth in his eyes. “You’re new to these things, and a lot of new things can be very scary when you first learn about them.”

Caleb returned the smile just slightly, relieved that Molly knew he wasn’t trying to be judgmental. “Right. So ah, are there other reasons why this ‘Safe, Sane, and Consensual’ has fallen out of favor…?”

“Yep! So the next reason why it’s not so popular these days is because in reality, ‘Sanity’ is not a very easily defined concept. At what level of neurodivergence do you consider someone insane? And, wouldn’t the average person think someone else was insane for engaging in some of the types of play that are commonplace in kink? To require sanity to engage in ethical play is hypocritical at best, and more often than not incredibly exclusionary. Kinky people come from all walks of life. Discriminating against who can and can’t play based on an imaginary sense of mental superiority is, well, bullshit. Pardon my French,” Molly tacked on the last bit while raising a hand apologetically, realizing just a hair too late that he had forgotten about the no-swearing rule.

But Caleb found he didn’t mind at all—Molly’s explanations were right on the nose and the point he made was an important one. “No, there’s no need to apologize—you’re absolutely right,” he said hurriedly, and then gestured for Molly to continue. It earned him a gratified hum and relaxing of shoulders from the tiefling, and something inside Caleb really, really liked the idea of seeing that look more often.

“Thank you, Caleb. So… consent. Consent is the only thing that carries over to RACK from S.S.C, because it’s the  _ most _ important element of kink and BDSM by far. Seriously. The negotiation aspect of BDSM, and the amount of trust needed so that both parties are enthusiastically consenting, is imperative to everyone’s enjoyment above all else. There is  _ always _ room for renegotiation, there is  _ always _ time to discuss and establish safe words, there is  _ no  _ room for argument.”

“Would you mind explaining what a safe word is, for our listeners?”

“Yeah! A safe word is a word or phrase that can be used during a scene that, when spoken, will halt any and all play immediately and allow all parties to step back and either stop the scene completely, or renegotiate terms before continuing. It’s usually a phrase that you wouldn’t use in normal conversation or call out in pleasure, as it were—mine’s Ruffles, for example,” Molly explained, and Caleb arched an eyebrow, though he didn’t comment.

“Alright, but why not simply say ‘no’ or ‘stop?’” he asked, curious.

“Because sometimes it’s cathartic to say no without it actually being effective. Sometimes, even when you’re really enjoying something and want it to continue, you might beg for it to stop without actually meaning to. BDSM can absolutely be casual, but by nature it tends to become very intense very quickly.”

“Ah, I see…” Caleb nodded, mulling over that information and tucking it away. There were certainly times when his own tongue betrayed him or tripped him up over what he wanted or didn’t want, and this could be a good technique to keep in mind. Something occurred to him then, though, and he knew it couldn’t be ignored. “What if the person is overwhelmed and becomes nonverbal as a result of the play?”

Molly raised his eyebrows just slightly at Caleb’s question, but his answer didn’t miss a beat. “I’m glad you asked that, Caleb—it’s a more common occurrence than you might think. And some people like to be gagged when they play. In those scenarios, the best solution is to allow the nonverbal person some form of physical safe word, like tapping out. They may not be able to speak, but they can tap their fingers or toes or elbows—whatever-- on a nearby surface and that signifies a halt in play.”

“Wow, that is very… well thought-out. I ah, apologize for asking so many questions, but would a dominant even know to look for that during an intense moment?”

Molly gave him a grin that seemed almost knowing, as though he sensed exactly why Caleb had asked the question, and his tail curled and uncurled at the tip like a contented cat. “Absolutely. One of the dom’s most important jobs is to pay attention to their sub and the body language they are projecting, and to check in with them regularly throughout a scene. You mentioned going nonverbal—that could just as easily be a sign of distress as of enjoyment. Say I was doing a scene with you and you went quiet all of a sudden—I wouldn’t stop, but I would slow down and ask for you to either check in with me verbally or physically to confirm you were still present, or I would temporarily stop whatever I was doing until I was certain you were alright to continue.”

Molly’s tone was factual and to-the-point, but the more Caleb thought about the hypothetical situation the tiefling was describing, the warmer he could feel his face getting. Caleb had tried  _ so hard _ to make the question seem purely hypothetical, but it was as though Molly had seen right through him. Quickly, he glanced at his watch and was relieved to see that they were already halfway through the broadcast. 

“That is indeed fascinating! And with that we ah, are going to take a quick break, listeners. Stay tuned for further discussions of Kink and BDSM when we return,” Caleb said into the mic rather hurriedly, and he raised a hand to twirl a finger in the air, signaling to Beau to cut the microphone feed. She gave him the thumbs-up and he stood from the desk. Molly blinked at him with slight confusion but was still giving him a polite and friendly smile.

“Ah, sorry I did not mention this earlier—we take a ten-minute break halfway through the program. I-if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom—please, help yourself to the snacks, feel free to stretch, just ah, don’t run off?” he said quickly with a slightly-nervous grin, and Molly simply nodded in return.

Caleb shuffled out the door and slipped into the hallway without so much as even glancing at Beau, and speed-walked down the hall to the single-stall bathroom just around the corner. As soon as he’d locked the door behind him, he leaned back against it to take a deep breath and run his hands through his hair. What the  _ fuck? _ Was he fucking  _ seventeen _ again all of a sudden?! He muttered a curse under his breath and stalked across the small space to turn the water on in the sink as cold as it would go. Caleb  _ knew _ that there were a lot of things about BDSM that he was unfamiliar with— he just hadn't expected that learning about them would affect him so greatly.

With careful movements, he readjusted his belt, wincing slightly at the unexpected tightness in his pants. He took a few deep breaths, then cupped his hands under the water and lightly splashed himself in the face. Caleb did this again, then a third time, and looked up in the mirror again. His cheeks looked less rosy now, and his heartrate had slowed, and so he grabbed a handful of paper towels to pat his face dry and shook the excess moisture out of his hair in a manner not unlike a cat who had been unexpectedly splashed in the face. He dried his hands, took one more deep breath, tossed the paper towels and left the bathroom to return to the studio.

When Caleb slipped back into the recording booth, Beau was giving him a bit of a strange look, but he made a point to ignore it. Mollymauk was reclining in his chair, scrolling through something on his phone with what appeared to be a faintly amused grin as he popped chocolates into his mouth. Caleb knocked as he entered, and Molly straightened up in his seat. “Ah, good to have you back, Caleb!” he said with a purr, smiling up at him in a way that Caleb wasn’t entirely convinced was without an ulterior motive-- but whether that motive was flirtatious or teasing, he couldn’t be sure.

“Ja, I ah, apologize. I drank quite a bit of tea before we started and—” he stumbled over his words, though really he knew he didn’t need to make excuses, but he felt a bit bad for running out on Molly so quickly especially when he was just explaining things as normal, definitely not trying to come onto Caleb at all—

The tiefling held up his hand, momentarily halting Caleb’s rushing thoughts. “Hey, it’s no problem. It’s kinda warm in here anyways so I don’t blame you for ducking out to get some air,” he said, his tone nonchalant and his body language comfortably relaxed as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Ready to start this thing up again?”

Caleb let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding and sat back down at the desk. “Right, ja, thank you. Everything you have discussed so far has been very fascinating.”

“Well, I can’t take all the credit,” Molly purred, his eyes narrowed playfully as he took a sip of his water and Caleb motioned to Beau to start counting them back in. “You’ve been asking all the right questions.”

Instead of thinking about how the tips of his ears were yet again getting warm, Caleb focused his attention on Beau, mirroring her countdown with his fingers until the ‘On Air’ sign lit up again. “Welcome back, listeners! I’m Caleb Widogast and if you are just joining us, tonight we are discussing Kink and BDSM with our very knowledgeable guest, Mr. Mollymauk Tealeaf. Before the break we were discussing the importance of consent, communication, and negotiation in kink, which actually reminded me of a topic that has been the subject of much debate: Mollymauk, could you tell us about how the ’50 Shades of Gray’ franchise compares to BDSM in the real world, and how the book’s popularity has perhaps affected the community?”

Molly had looked so smitten with Caleb’s praise, but then he almost choked on a groan as his eyes rolled so far back in his head Caleb thought he might be trying to see out the other side. Caleb bit back a small chuckle. “Sensitive topic, I take it?”

“Oh, don’t even get me  _ started _ on that sh—load of crock.” Molly sighed dramatically, just barely managing to catch his language before the curse slipped out. “Okay, really, if I’m not careful I could spend a whole day ranting about those books. I’m gonna try not to do that on air, for the sake of your listeners and my sanity. Christian Gray is, in one sentence, every kink community’s  _ worst nightmare _ . He’s a rich, sadistic dom who makes everything all about him, ignores safe words, disregards boundaries, enforces unfair rules, and preys on submissive women who are unknowledgeable as to how a healthy BDSM relationship is actually supposed to work.”

Caleb sat back in his chair a bit with a somewhat satisfied smirk, more than happy to let Molly go all out on this one. He sincerely hoped that somewhere out there, Craig H. Johnson was listening to Molly’s ranting.

“To make matters worse, the guy’s  _ completely fictional _ and he’s still managed to have a negative impact on communities in real life. Now more than ever we see domineering men trying to muscle their way into scenes, going way too far too fast, because they  _ think _ it’s what their partner wants. On the flip side, we have a massive influx of submissives who either don’t know how to or simply won’t say no, because they think that’s how this works. It’s  _ dangerous _ ,” Molly finished, his tone deadly serious as his tail lashed back and forth in irritation.

“I see, thank you for explaining that,” Caleb said, nodding with satisfaction. He always knew those books were awful. “Now for those who have maybe learned about kink from ’50 Shades’, where would you recommend they go to learn proper BDSM rules and etiquette?”

Molly perked right up with a relieved sigh, glad for the positive change in subject, and flashed Caleb a look of gratitude. “Well now that’s an easy question to answer: go to a Munch! Or look around to see if there’s a discussion or support group in your area that might offer a BDSM 101 class!”

“A Munch?” Caleb tilted his head—he remembered Molly having mentioned this in his initial email response, but he still hadn’t figured out what it actually was. “What is a Munch?”

Molly gave a short laugh. “Oh, right, of course! Sometimes I forget not everyone has a kinky dictionary!” he said with a playful grin. “A munch is a casual meetup for kinky people outside of the context of play. There’s no fetish gear involved, no exchanging power, no negotiating or anything—it’s just a low-key social event where kinksters get to know each other in a group setting. Usually they’re held in a public space like a restaurant, bar, or local park. A lot of kink communities will require you to attend at least one or two munches before participating in any play events, so that community members can learn your name, some of what you’re into, and how you might behave in a play situation.”

“Ohh, I see, that makes sense,” Caleb said with a nod. “Sort of, meeting in a public place over dinner before being invited to the dungeon?”

Molly blinked in surprise at that, then laughed. “You know I didn’t take you for the jokester type, but you’re exactly right, Caleb.”

Caleb shrugged lightly, his tone neutral, but the slight curling at the corner of his lips gave away his amusement. “Oh I wasn’t joking. I was being completely serious.”

“Absolutely,” Molly agreed, giving Caleb a particularly bright and mischievous grin that Caleb found he wasn’t quite so embarrassed by the more he saw it. It was cute. It was a game that Molly brought to the table, and Caleb was starting to feel like he could play it, too.

“So, you mentioned discussion groups, or a BDSM 101 class—does something like that exist here in San Junipero? What could someone expect to learn at one of these classes?”

“There absolutely are groups and classes here!” Molly said, his tail curling up behind him as he beamed at Caleb. “In fact, we offer the 101 class at Revelry once every month on the first Thursday, starting at 7pm. We rotate teachers, but you’ll always get someone knowledgeable with professional experience in the community,” he explained, clearly enthusiastic and proud of his workplace.

“A lot of what I talked about tonight is what’s covered in the classes, but we do a lot more open Q&A, talk about some of the common kinks, have negotiation worksheets, and sometimes give demos when we have enough hands.”

“That sounds like an excellent resource,” Caleb said, nodding along as he processed this information. “Common kinks—is there a certain level of popularity required to make a kink ‘common’?”

Molly chuckled and shook his head. “No, or at least not one that we can really measure. But common kinks tend to be more widely known both inside and out of the community and might even feature in popular media. Some people might not even consider them to  _ be _ kinks because they’ve become so widely known to the general populace they’re considered ‘normal.’ Kinda like how most of this country probably doesn’t even think of watersports as a kink anymore because the President’s into golden showers.”

Caleb choked on the water he was drinking and groaned, wincing as Molly laughed. “Gottverdammt, let’s keep that horrible man out of discussions of Pride, please?”

Molly held up a hand in apology, still grinning, though he was trying to contain his laughter. “Sorry, sorry! You’re right. Just making sure you’re paying attention,” he said with a wink, then set his hand back down.

“Thank you. How about we forget about that little comment with something else—perhaps you could give our listeners some other examples of these common kinks?”

“Sure! Spanking is probably way up at the top of the list—it’s definitely a kinky activity, even if most people think of it in a sexy-but-not-kinky context. There’s foot play, rope bondage, handcuffs, collars and leashes—let me know if I’m making you uncomfortable, Caleb darling?” He said, pausing ever so briefly to study Caleb’s reactions.

Caleb shook his head quickly, though his mouth had suddenly gone dry and he had to shift his position in his seat, leaning back from across the desk-- when had the tiefling drawn him in so closely without his noticing? His brain barely even registered the affectionate tone in Molly's voice when he said 'darling.' “A-ah, no. No, I am fine, Mollymauk. Go on.”

Molly nodded and shot him a polite smile, though Caleb got the feeling he was reading him again. “Pet play is pretty common, and falls into the category of kinky or sexual role playing—the sub plays the role of a ‘pet’, usually a dog or cat, and the dom takes the role of the ‘master.’ Oh and I know I said spanking already, but impact play in general is super common—like I’m pretty sure that just about everyone even remotely kinky is into impact play, either giving or receiving or both.”

“Impact play… Does that mean just hitting?” Caleb asked, trying very carefully not to let his mind run away with him, though he didn’t feel he was having much success in that endeavor. Images of spankings and being smacked around by a purple hand danced behind his eyes, and Caleb had to force himself to focus on Molly’s next words.

“Well, yes and no. The term ‘impact play’ essentially covers all forms of play that involve one party striking the other with an impactful implement. Spanking is a type of impact play, because your hand is the implement being used. Flogging and whipping? Impact play. Paddling? Impact play. Kicking, punching, hitting? All impact play.”

“I see. That is… Fascinating,” Caleb replied, nodding, though he was feeling a bit lacking for words. Movement from outside the recording booth caught Caleb’s attention through the window, and he looked up to see Beau pulling faces at him and holding up three fingers. He nodded, thankful that she was there to get him back on track.

“Right, so! We are almost out of time for this evening. Are there any last parting words of wisdom you’d like to leave us with, Mr. Tealeaf?”

Molly straightened up a bit in his seat from where he had been leaning into the microphone, his expression shifting to one far more cordial rather than the almost catlike-satisfaction he’d had on his face when describing the different types of play to Caleb, his personal captive audience.

“Well! I’ll just finish up with a last little self-promo, if that’s alright,” he said with a hum, and Caleb nodded his permission. “Right! So as I said at the beginning, I work at Club Revelry here in town—the home of Dance, Desire, and Revelry,” the tiefling parroted the slogan without missing a beat, though he said it with a teasing eye roll that made Caleb’s lips tug into a small smile.

“We’re open 8pm to 2am Wednesday through Sunday, and Friday is College Night—a.k.a. students who are 18+ get in half-price! All other nights are 21+ only though, sorry kiddos. We have a full bar, live music on the weekends, and  _ plenty _ of events—we’re even hosting one of the official Pride Afterparties in June! Everyone who works the floor like myself is professionally certified in at least one type of play, and we’re happy to teach any newbies who ask, and usually do a few demos throughout the night. Come check us out! You won’t regret it.” Molly delivered the last line with a purr, his chin resting in his hands with his elbows perched on the desk as he leaned towards the microphone. His tail lazily waved back and forth, and to Caleb’s eyes, the tiefling was clearly satisfied with the whole production.

Caleb piped up then to sign them off, Beau giving him the final-minute warning. “Thank you for that information, Molly. And thank  _ you, _ listeners for joining us this evening for our discussion on Kink and BDSM as part of USJ campus Pride Month. I’m Caleb Widogast,” he gestured to Molly.

“And I’m Mollymauk Tealeaf!”

“And this has been Desert Vibes. Thank you, and have a good night.”

Beau held up a closed fist from outside the recording booth, and the ‘On Air’ sign blinked off. Caleb pushed his chair back from the desk with a sigh, closing his eyes just briefly to take a breath. When he opened them, Molly was leaning back in his seat and watching Caleb carefully, but not with a gaze so intense that it made Caleb uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he gave a slightly nervous cough and took finished drinking from his water bottle.

“Thank you for, ah, coming on the show tonight, Mollymauk. I appreciate it very much,” he said, his words halting and stiff, not quite making eye contact again. The post-show flood of anxiety was hitting him as it always did once he was off the air and no longer had to put up the charismatic front. “You are, ah… very knowledgeable. On this subject.”

Molly flashed him a particularly charming look and stood up from his seat at the same time Caleb did, though he gave a little flourish of a bow. “Of course, happy to be here! And uh, if you ever need another guest, you can always call on me,” he said, and Caleb noticed that a bit of Molly’s own easy charm was slipping. What a relief to know it wasn’t always so effortless for him.

Caleb nodded and went to the door, opening it and stepping out into the slightly fresher air of the broadcast studio where Beau was pulling off her headphones. She crossed her arms and gave him a look that he didn’t quite get the meaning behind, and he tipped his head at her. “What? Did something go wrong during the broadcast?”

Beau raised her eyebrows at him. “Nope! Nah! Everything went just fine! Perfectly normal out here, noooo problemo! What about  _ you _ , Mr. Interview Man, huh? Everything okay on your end?”

Caleb furrowed his brows at her, confused. What was  _ that _ tone supposed to mean? “Ja, everything was… Fine. Why do you…?” Before he could finish his train of thought, Molly exited the recording booth, having paused to dig something out of his shoulder bag.

“Hey, Caleb?”

“Ja?” Caleb turned to face the tiefling and found they were almost face-to-face, the proximity catching him slightly off-guard and making him take a fumbling step backwards. Molly held up a hand apologetically.

“Sorry, didn’t expect you to turn around so fast. Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks for having me on the show tonight,” he said, bright red eyes watching Caleb’s expression carefully. “And, hey, if you uh, have any more questions? About tonight’s topic. Just gimme a call, kay?” His smile looked almost shy now, nervous, but he reached out to press a slip of paper into Caleb’s hand, letting his touch linger for just a split second before he straightened up and gave both Caleb and Beau a little wave. “Well then! No rest for the wicked, I must be off to work! See ya around, Beau, Caleb.”

“Uh, ja, j-ja. See you, Mollymauk,” Caleb stumbled, his eyes still wide from the whole exchange as the purple tiefling spun on his heel and strode out the studio door, disappearing down the hallway.

Beau threw up her hands in exasperation with a loud “Oh my  _ Gods!! _ ” as soon as Molly was out of earshot, and Caleb almost winced at her sudden outburst. “Seriously?! Wow.  _ Woooow _ .”

“What? Beau, what did I—he—what?” he asked, turning back to his friend with confusion, the paper still clutched in his hand.

“Oh you are so fucking oblivious. Jesus Christ.” Beau groaned and rolled her eyes, then nodded at the paper he was holding. “You had  _ better _ fucking call him, dude. I will  _ never _ let you hear the end of it if you don’t.”

“I—what? Oh.” Caleb looked at his hand and unfolded the little scrap of paper. Apparently his brain hadn’t finished processing the whole exchange just yet, because he had been too preoccupied with the warmth of Molly’s fingers on his palm to even remember that the tiefling had given him something. Inside was a set of numbers, and they were indeed a  _ phone _ number. There was a little smiley face with horns drawn next to it and ‘Molly <3' scribbled underneath. Caleb blinked several times, and felt his cheeks warming with a blush. “… Oh.”

Beau just threw up her hands again. “GODS!” and spun around to finish shutting off the soundboard while Caleb’s brain ran at least two thousand possible scenarios as he stared at the numbers. Finally Beau turned back to him with a huff. “I meant it, man. You will never. Hear. The end of it.”

Caleb finally snapped out of his reverie and carefully re-folded the paper, tucking it into the breast pocket of his shirt. “J-ja, okay Beau, I… I will… Try,” he responded shakily, still feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that had just happened.

“Good. You fuckin better. And whatever you do, don’t uh… Don’t check the hashtag till you’re ready, okay?” Beau said with a snort. That only made Caleb even more confused, but instead of pressing it he simply nodded. Beau picked up her stuff and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. “Alright man, I gotta hit lab before they close down for the night. You uh, you take care. Get some sleep, okay? You… You did good tonight.”

There it was, a little more of Beau’s regular-if-not-awkward support. As combative as she could be, Caleb still considered her one of his closest friends. They scratched each other’s backs in the best ways they knew how to, even if neither of them were particularly good at it. Growing up in boarding schools tended to do that to kids.

Beau slipped out the door, and only after she had left did Caleb sit down and pull out the piece of paper again. He rubbed his hands over the stiff material, tracing the numbers with his eyes over and over despite having already memorized them.  _ “If you have any more questions….” _ He could still hear Molly’s voice in his mind, and he found it nothing short of perplexing how quickly this man had had such a strangely profound impact on him that he would hang on his every word and even want to hear  _ more _ .

After what could have been a few minutes or a whole hour, Caleb stood up and left the studio, locking the door behind him. He made his way back to his dorm, his mind tumbling in a mess of circles the entire walk. The moment he was inside, he scooped up his cat and pressed his face into the soft, striped fur to inhale deeply.

“Thank goodness for you, my friend. May you never be so complex and confusing.” The cat simply gave him a little meow and purred, happy to be wrapped in his person’s arms. Caleb carried him to the couch and sat down. Finally, he pulled out his phone, remembering what Beau had said. Frumpkin lay curled in his lap, purring contentedly as Caleb opened Twitter and logged into the show account. His eyes widened. The little bell in the bottom corner showed more notifications than he’d seen in a long time, maybe even since he had covered the latest Star Wars movie. He hesitated a moment, then clicked on the icon. His notifications were overflowing with tweets, and they were all a variant on the same sentiment.

**#USJDesertVibes** uhhh is it just me or are they like, really getting into all this kinky stuff??

**#USJDesertVibes** ??? More like Desert ROMANCE!!! #socute #gaaaay

**#USJDesertVibes** Wow, this Molly guy sure knows a lot, and it sounds like Caleb wants to know all about him!

Daaaamn they really turning up the chemistry on  **#USJDesertVibes** tonight! Kinky! LOL!

**#USJDESERTVIBES** HAPPY PRIDE CALEB I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOUUUUU!!!!!

Omg! I’ve been to @ClubRevelry before!!  **#USJDesertVibes** Molly is soooo cute Caleb you’re so lucky!!!!!

**#USJDesertVibes** Caaaaan you feeeeel the dommmm toniiiiight? ;P

  
Caleb stopped scrolling and set down his phone. He got up from the couch, tucking Frumpkin under one arm, and went to the small fridge in his kitchen. He dug out a beer and returned to the couch, downing half of it in one go. He was  _ far _ too sober to be scrolling through this hashtag right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *turns off the megaphone and steps down from the table* Anyways thanks for coming to my TED Talk
> 
> Special thanks to:  
> \- @AiraKay for being a fabulous beta!  
> \- The Widomauk server for being very encouraging enablers!  
> \- All you wonderful people who have left kind comments and kudos thus far!  
> \- All the new comments and kudos I can look forward to to keep powering this kinky mind!  
> \- The continuing fandom tragedy that fuels my cope-writing!  
> \- Denial! Denial! Denial!
> 
> Also this is gonna be a slow burn so I hope you're ready for a whole lot of pining and a whole lot of Caleb being an anxious gay mess


	3. Creamer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I'm back from a convention and all the con crunch that came with it. I struggled with this chapter a bit as it's a lot of set up for future chapters, but from here we get to have even more fun. Please enjoy these useless gays.  
> (As always, please no spelling/grammar check comments)

Caleb woke up late on Saturday morning, and did not check his phone. Instead he blinked into the nearly-noon sunlight coming in through his window, wincing a bit at the slight headache that throbbed in the back of his skull, and reached for the water bottle on his night stand. As he grabbed it, a soft, warm weight settled onto his chest and began to rumble. He took several long drinks from the bottle before setting it back down and focusing his attention on Frumpkin.

“Guten morgen, mein Freund,” he said with a soft sigh, running his fingers through the cat’s spotted fur, not yet ready to get out of bed. Caleb stayed this way until Frumpkin started kneading at his belly with his paws, pricking the skin with slightly extended claws. “Ow, alright, alright, ja I know! Breakfast!” he exclaimed, carefully lifting Frumpkin up and unhooking the claws that snagged on his nightshirt. Caleb set his cat down on the floor, turned himself to sit on the edge of the bed, and stretched with a large yawn. It wasn’t normal for him to sleep this late, but after last night… He felt he needed the rest.

He had definitely not been up until two in the morning reading all the tweets enthusing about the flirting he had apparently received during the show. He most certainly had not finished three beers without even a scrap of dinner before he finally stumbled to bed. There was no way that he, Caleb Widogast, had jolted awake just before the dawn with a straining ache in his pants and thoughts of clawed lavender hands lingering from his dreams. Nope. Absolutely not.

Caleb finally rose to standing with a groan and stretched out his back, earning a handful of quiet pops from his spine as he did so. He exhaled, slid on his house slippers, and shuffled towards the kitchen as Frumpkin chirped and dashed by his feet to meet him there. He jumped up onto the countertop, meowing insistently as Caleb rounded the corner. “Ja ja, give me a minute…” he muttered, pulling a can of cat food out of the pantry and setting it down on the counter to pull it open by the tab. Frumpkin headbutted his hands, trying to shove his way in.

“Ein Minuten, Frumpkin! Bitte!” The cat only meowed louder in response, and Caleb sighed as he finally pried the can open and set it down on top of the little rubber coaster that saton the counter just to stop Frumpkin’s food from sliding away. Purring like mad, Frumpkin made a beeline for the food, leaving Caleb to shake his head in amusement.

It wasn’t until after he had started up the coffee machine that he saw his phone still sitting on the kitchen counter where he’d left it the night before. He eyed it hesitantly for a moment, then picked it up, pressing the button to illuminate the screen. He was greeted by more notifications than he had the strength for that moment, and so he set the phone back down with a resigned groan. He didn’t even want to think about how many new tweets there were in the show’s hashtag, or about what Professor Felid must think of him, or about how he almost didn’t even want to set foot in the broadcast studio ever again. He was supposed to be a  _ fucking professional _ and he’d gone on the air acting a complete  _ fool _ and everyone  _ knew it _ .

Only the ding of the coffee machine managed to pull him from the negative spiraling of his thoughts, a blessed distraction, and he turned to the fridge to find his favorite creamer. Frumpkin sat idly by the fridge now, licking his forepaw to wash his face, the image of contentment. “Well, at least one of us is enjoying themselves,” Caleb remarked, bemused as he turned the bottle over in his hand. Not expired yet, thank the Gods. He didn’t think he could’ve stomached his coffee black even if he tried. He poured it into his mug, gave it a stir, and took a long sip. Finally. Caffeine, and a moment of peace.

The moment refused to last for very long, however, as Caleb’s phone buzzed on the countertop with the tone that he knew meant an incoming text message. He heaved a long sigh and reluctantly picked up his phone again, looking only at the most recent notification. It was from Beau, and it wasn’t in all caps but it might as well have been.

**Beau 11:34 :** DUDE! CALEB DUDE! HAVE YOU CALLED HIM YET?? Seriously man you GOTTA call him like, what the fuck. Are you still asleep??? Jesus dude wake the fuck up and CALL MOLLY!

Caleb blinked, read the message over again, and put his phone back down without replying. No. Not right now. Not today. There was no way he was going to face the source of his embarrassment head-on first thing in the morning before he’d finished his coffee, even if first thing was almost lunchtime already.

He managed to finish his entire cup and even start buttering a slice of toast before his phone went off again.

**Beau 11:49 :** Okay come on Caleb, get the fuck up. Do I gotta send Nott in with the water bucket? You better not be fucking ignoring me.

Caleb set his phone down without a response yet again. Food came first. Food, and then,  _ only _ then, would he think about answering any messages. His phone went off again and this time he ignored it, opting to instead heat up a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes in the microwave. If his phone pinged any more, he wasn’t even listening for it.

He was just finishing the last of his toast when there was suddenly a loud banging on the door, causing him to jump with a flinch, almost choking on the bread in his mouth. Before he could even call out, a voice shouted from the hallway.

“CALEB?! YOU ALIVE IN THERE??? DON’T MAKE ME BREAK DOWN THE FUCKING DOOR MAN I KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE LOUD NOISES BUT NOTT THINKS YOU’RE DEAD OR SOMETHING AND YOU KNOW I DON’T LIKE IT WHEN YOU DON’T ANSWER MY TEXTS. C’MON MAN, OPEN UP.” It was Beau, and though Caleb was still wincing from the volume of her voice and knocks, he knew she meant it when she said she’d kick in his door. He shuffled through the living room as quickly as he could, reaching to undo the locks.

“LAST CHANCE, CALEB. DOOR’S COMING DOWN IN THREE… TWO… Oh!” There was Beau, halfway into a kicking stance, blinking in surprise as she took in Caleb’s appearance where he stood. He must have looked worse than usual, because her blue eyes widened as she relaxed to standing normally. “Shit, man, what the fuck? It’s ten past noon. You’re usually up at like, sunrise. The hell happened?”

Caleb was still wincing as he rubbed the back of his neck, his skin prickling uncomfortably. Twenty questions was never his favorite game, especially when he was nursing a little hangover. “I had a drink last night, Beau. It is a Saturday. Am I not allowed to sleep in?” he grumbled, and she must have seen the wince he was giving her because her tone softened down as she murmured a word unperceivable to him.

“Yeah okay dude, I’m coming in. You eaten yet?” she asked, and when Caleb didn’t immediately move out of her way she shouldered past him into his apartment. He sighed, though he didn’t try to keep her out, and instead shut the door behind her.

“Ja, I just did. Your knocking almost made me choke,” he said with a frown, shuffling back into the kitchen to rinse his dishes off before sliding them into the tiny dishwasher. He turned back around to face her, arms folded across his chest, and she mirrored his pose from where she was leaning against the back of his couch.

“How much did you have?” she asked him, raising an eyebrow. It wasn’t exactly accusatory, but if it had come from anyone else Caleb would have shut down immediately and kicked them out.

“… Three beers.”

“Eat anything?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I was… distracted.”

“By what?”

“… Twitter.”

Beau groaned then, running her hands over her face as her shoulders drooped. “Dude, I  _ told _ you not to look until you were ready.”

“I thought that I was! It is part of running the show!” he said defensively, his frown deepening and causing  wrinkles to form between his brows. Beau just scoffed at him and shook her head.

“Look. We both know how you get about social media. You shoulda called me, or Nott. We would’ve—”

“Ja well, I didn’t. And I do not appreciate you barging into my dorm to demand answers when I have just woken up.”

“Shit, Caleb, you  _ just _ woke up?”

“Ja—well, nein, no, I woke up about thirty minutes ago. I just wanted to have my coffee and eat before looking at my phone,” he said, gesturing towards the offending electronic with his chin, still not moving from his defensive posture.

Beau sighed and scooped up his phone from the counter, flipping it on to look at all the notifications. She made a displeased sort of grumble, fiddled with it for a moment, then set it back down. “There. Now Twitter’s deleted off you phone.”

Caleb sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn’t always like when Beau butted in and made these decisions for him, though he knew she would probably be right in the long run. He finally dropped his arms from where they were folded across his chest and moved away from the counter. “Well, now that you know I am alive and have commandeered my phone, is there any other reason you’re here?”

Beau rolled her eyes right back at him and stuck out her tongue. “Yeah, actually, Mr. Grumpy Pants. Have you called Molly yet?”

“No, no I have not.” Caleb made a sour face. “What part of ‘had three beers scrolling through Twitter’ did you not understand?”

Beau groaned and rolled her eyes again, not at all pleased with his tone. “Hey, don’t pull that shit with me, man. You know the rules.”

Caleb was about to bite back with another retort, but the two were interrupted by Frumpkin jumping up on the back of the couch where Beau was still leaning and placing his paws on her shoulder with a particularly loud demand for attention. Caleb snorted and Beau laughed, scooping the cat into her arms. “Ohh noooo, were you here this  _ whole _ time and I never even said  _ hi _ to you?!” she teased the cat, scratching under his chin as he purred loudly.

Caleb couldn’t help smiling at his cat’s antics. Frumpkin was nothing if not a master of diffusing tension. Beau was easy enough to distract, and Caleb took the opportunity to slip back to his room, putting on actual clothes instead of just wandering around in his nightshirt and boxers. By the time he returned to the kitchen, Beau was at the stove with Frumpkin draped around her neck as she laid strips of bacon into a sizzling pan. Of course she had brought her own bacon for him. She didn’t even have to look up to know when Caleb had re-entered the room.

“Knowing you, you haven’t had any protein yet, huh?” she asked, and Caleb shook his head ‘no’.  “Yeah, s’what I thought. Put on some tea and go siddown, okay? This’ll only take a few minutes.” Caleb, though he wanted to argue, truly did not have the energy to do so. He filled the electric kettle with water from the sink and turned it on, then retrieved some satchels of tea from the drawer he kept them in.

“Black?” he asked, inspecting the labels on each container.

“Oolong,” Beau replied over her shoulder, expertly flipping the bacon in the pan with one fluid wrist motion.

Caleb nodded and pulled out the bag of oolong tea that Beau herself had given him as a gift for Christmas. He scooped two spoonfuls of the leaves into the steeper of his ceramic teapot, and when the electric kettle automatically shut off, he poured the water over the leaves and into the pot to steep. He carried it to his tiny dining table, setting it down before going back for teacups. By the time he had set one out for each of them, Beau was dividing up the bacon between two plates and carrying it back to the table.

“Eat up, Bones,” she teased, and Caleb rolled his eyes but sat down, pouring himself a cup of the tea before digging into the bacon. He’d never admit how much he appreciated when his friends cooked for him, but part of him was pretty sure he wouldn’t ever have to. They just knew.

Caleb sent a prayer of thanks to whichever Gods were listening when silence reigned over them as they ate. Caleb knew that Beau loved him in her own special way, cared for him, but  _ Gods _ could she ever be obnoxious about it at times.

It wasn’t until a solid ten minutes had passed, with the both of them sipping on their tea, that Beau spoke up again. “So. You gonna call him?”

Caleb groaned and set down his teacup. “Really, Beauregard? And here my headache was just starting to clear.”

“Yeah, and? He gave you his number. He  _ wants _ you to call him.”

“But why?” Caleb griped, staring down at his tea as he held it between his hands. “I didn’t even realize he was flirting with me…”

“Well he clearly thought it worked, because he wouldn’t be trying to keep up contact if it hadn’t.” Beau snorted, finishing off her tea and setting the cup down with a slightly louder thud than was necessary. Caleb frowned at it, hoping she hadn’t cracked the delicate ceramic, but it remained intact.

“But I am just a boring history nerd. He is a professional in the art of pleasure. I haven’t even  _ kissed _ anyone in  _ months _ .”

“Okay first off, didn’t need to know that.” Beau made a sour face.  “Second, I’m pretty sure he’d be  _ more _ than happy to change that.”

Caleb scoffed at her. “I highly doubt that, Beauregard.”

She held up a hand to cut him off before he could argue any further.  _ “Thirdly,  _ Mr. Grumpy Pants, I’m not gonna leave your apartment till you nut up and call him.”

Caleb gaped at her, clutching his chest in only slightly exaggerated shock, then narrowed his eyes. “Bullshit. You’re always out ogling that pretty bouncer you can’t shut up about on Saturday nights. I will  _ gladly _ sit at this table all day.”

“Fuckin try it, bitch. Tea’s a diuretic,” Beau countered, smirking at him triumphantly as she folded her arms across her chest. Caleb rolled his eyes and sneered at her.

“I can take a piss without my phone, you know. I doubt you’d want to watch me doing that.”

“Ugh, Caleb! Why you gotta always make this gross?!” she protested with a disgusted noise. “Fine. I’m not gonna stay here all day. But if you call him, I’ll get you any book in the bookstore you want. My treat.”

Caleb eyed her suspiciously at that, his brows furrowed. “ _ Any _ book?”

“Well, within reason, obviously. You know I’m not made of money.”

“… Do I get to choose the store?”

“Well I mean I thought we were just gonna hit up the school bookstore, but…”

Caleb shook his head quickly. The thought of making the call terrified him, but this was not an opportunity he was willing to pass up. “Books in the Square, or no deal.”

Beau sighed heavily, then admitted defeat. “Fine. We’ll go to Books in the Square. But you gotta call him  _ today _ , before I go to the club tonight. And I want  _ proof _ .”

Caleb grinned with triumph and held out his hand across the table. “Agreed. I’ll take screenshots just for you.”

Beau took his hand in hers, gripping it firmly to shake on it. “Good, you fuckin better.”

 

* * *

 

 

Caleb twisted his hands nervously as the phone rung, staring at the wall. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He could still feel the burn of embarrassment from all the tweets he’d read through the night before, but he had to shake them from his mind. He had almost lost the fight to just hang up and pretend he never called when a familiar voice picked up the line.

“Hellooo?”

“J-ja, hallo Molly! It is Caleb! From, ah, from the radio station yesterday--!” Caleb was already stumbling over his words and feeling the fool, but the Tiefling’s tone immediately brightened over the phone.

“Oh! Hello darling, it’s so good to hear from you!” he chirped, and Caleb could swear he could see the tiefling’s tail swishing behind him in his mind’s eye. There was an obvious purr in his voice now, and Caleb could feel his cheeks flushing. “And to what do I owe this pleasure on this fine Saturday evening?”

“Ah, um, well, Beau was actually pestering me to call you, and I really needed to get her off my back, and—”

“Oh…”

Caleb was immediately aware of his mistake and cursed himself in anger. “No wait! Scheisse, that sounds awful, I—I am really not very good at this, Mollymauk, I’m sorry,” he stammered, already regretting this call. There was silence from the other end of the line, and Caleb sincerely hoped that Molly hadn’t hung up on him. He took a breath, and tried again. “What I mean to say is… Yes, Beau would not leave me alone about following up with you, but I… am also interested. In learning more. About… the things you discussed last night,” he finally said, choosing his words as carefully as he could.

“Oh! Well Caleb, why didn’t you say so~?” Molly purred, and Caleb breathed a half-sigh of relief that he hadn’t mortally offended the tiefling with his shameful slip-up.

“I, um… I was ah… uncertain if…”

“No no darling, don’t worry about it. I was mostly teasing,” Molly supplied quickly, and the other half of Caleb’s relieved sigh came then. Thank the Gods Molly was trying to make this easier on him. “How about this: we meet for coffee, just you and me some time when we’re out of class, and you can ask me all the questions you want. Sound good?”

Caleb took a deep breath, nodding even though Molly couldn’t see that over the phone. “Ja, that sounds very good, thank you.”

“Perfect! How does Wednesday at 6pm sound?”

“Ah, could it be closer to 6:30…? I have conservator’s lab until 6 and it would take me a bit to get back to the main campus…”

“Not a problem,” Molly said with a hum, then went quiet for a minute as though thinking something over. “The ConLab is on the South end of campus, right? So how ‘bout I meet you at Southern Touch Café at 6:30. I’ll get a table for two and get the coffee ordered so it’ll be there as soon as you arrive.”

Caleb smiled against the receiver of the phone, thankful for Molly’s planning capabilities and willingness to take the lead on this little meeting. “That works. Thank you, Mollymauk, I will see you then.”

“See ya!” The words were said with a sing-song tone and the line clicked silent. Caleb stared down at his phone in his hand for a minute, then promptly sat on his bed and fell backwards, letting out a long rush of breath. He let his phone drop and rubbed his hand over his face right at the exact moment Frumpkin jumped up onto his chest with a little meow to say ‘hello!’

Caleb chuckled and put his hands around Frumpkin’s ribcage, lifting him up to dangle above him. “What on earth have I gotten myself into, Liebchen?” he asked the cat, and Frumpkin’s only response was to reach out to bap Caleb’s nose with his paw, causing the man so smile more widely and set the cat down. “Why thank you, Frumpkin—I feel enlightened,” he said with a laugh, and the spotted cat curled up to settle on his chest with a loud purr.

Caleb ran his fingers down his cat’s spine, scratching lightly, and let the vibrations of his purr soothe his mind. Remembering his deal with Beau, he picked his phone back up and took a quick screenshot of his call log, proving he’d fulfilled his end of the bargain. He texted it to her, not yet ready to get up from the bed. Wednesday would be here soon enough. All he had to do was try not to let his anxiety run away with him between now and then.

 

* * *

 

 

Wednesday evening was a bit chillier than Mollymauk had been expecting. It was probably a good thing, he mused as he walked to the café, that Yasha had insisted on buying him an overcoat that  _ wasn’t _ artfully cut away to expose more of him than it covered. At least it wasn’t windy tonight.

The Southern Touch Café was warmly lit when he arrived at a quarter past six. He was easily given a table, a private little two-person booth towards the back, and he ordered the coffee as he’d promised. It arrived to the booth just as Caleb did, and Molly couldn’t help his smile that the man had arrived a few minutes early. Maybe it was a sign that he was eager to continue their conversation, too. The tip of his tail flicked up and down, pleased, as the ginger awkwardly took the available seat.

“Hello dear! So glad you could make it!” Molly chirped, smiling brightly. He was glad to see Caleb give him a small smile in return, and he curled his tail around his own ankle to stop it from waving too enthusiastically.

“Hallo, Mollymauk. Thank you for, ah… agreeing to this,” the man said carefully, his eyes focused lower, not meeting Molly’s. The tiefling blinked and tipped his head slightly.

“Well of course! I’m never one to turn down a newbie eager to learn,” he said, keeping his tone friendly and open. Molly had his suspicions about Caleb’s behaviors, already knew that too much social interaction made him uncomfortable, but he wasn’t here to judge or press for information on them. He just picked up on these things.  It was impossible for him not to, with how much time and effort he put into reading the body language of others as part of his job.

Caleb seemed to relax a fraction and looked to the coffee pot, then at the pair of empty mugs set out. “Ah, were you waiting for me…?”

“Oh no, it just arrived,” Molly said with a light chuckle. “Want me to pour, or…?”

“Please. You can go first, though,” Caleb said with a nod, and Molly obliged him. As Molly filled his own coffee cup, he saw Caleb open two of the little cups of creamer and pour them into the second. The man passed Molly his mug, and the Tiefling looked up to watch his expression, hoping to catch his eyes.

“Just tell me when?” he said, then began to pour the coffee from the pot. The cup was almost completely full when Caleb finally told him to stop. “Got a long night ahead of you?”

“Mm, ja. Researching on specific conservation techniques,” Caleb said simply, closing his eyes to take a long sip from his coffee. It was when he set the mug back down did he open his eyes again and finally meet Molly’s gaze and—oh. His eyes were such a  _ brilliant _ and beautiful shade of blue. Molly’s tail twitched, intrigued, as he felt his heart flutter every so slightly.  _ Fuck _ he was pretty.

And Molly was  _ so fucked _ if he already felt this way after just one engaging radio interview.

He realized he was staring and sat up abruptly with an awkward cough. Caleb blinked at him, but didn’t comment on it, thankfully. Molly could feel his  _ own _ ears getting warm and oh, wasn’t  _ that _ just what he needed. He was here to teach, not be some lovestruck college kid with a baby crush. But then again, that wouldn’t stop him from trying to seduce Caleb while he taught.

“So! What is it uh… that you wanted to learn more about, Mr. Caleb?” he said, pushing the brightness into his tone in an attempt to conceal just how nervously excited he was about this whole interaction.

“Ah, well, um… that is, I… well. There are, a lot of things, I think,” The man said, and Molly watched as his shoulders tensed with anxiety. He remembered how easily Caleb had been to fluster during their interview, but also how he hung on Molly’s every word, curious and attentive.

“Hey, it’s alright. I’m not on a deadline. Take all the time you need,” Molly said gently, flashing him a more endearing smile, hoping to help Caleb relax into the conversation a bit. To his satisfaction, Caleb took a deep breath and curled his hands loosely, closing his eyes for just a moment. Once he’d grounded himself, he opened his eyes again, focusing his gaze on Molly’s sternum.

“Danke. I… wanted to know more, about how a beginner would, um… get involved? I-in the community, or BDSM in general…” Caleb paused to take another breath, arranging his thoughts, and Molly didn’t interrupt him. “I know you mentioned the 101 classes, but ah, are there other things? Like, ah, I don’t know. A sort of, help line? Or a mentor program?” He was hesitant, but starting to warm up, and Molly couldn’t fight the grin that was tugging at the corners of his mouth. Converting vanillas was always fun—doing it to one so cute without even intending to? A fantastic bonus.

“And, uh, this is all, hypothetically for someone who has never done any of these things before. Maybe, um, explored a little in their own time? But really has no idea what they’re getting into and wants some guidance and lessons and maybe a few books to study, and to be able to practice or maybe even experiment with things just to see whether or not they like them without any expectations from a partner or—”

“Woah woah woah, slow down there, dear.” Molly held up a hand with a chuckle, and Caleb’s own voice died in his throat as his face flushed such a bright red it contrasted terribly with his hair. “So what I’m understanding from this, and correct me if I’m wrong, is that you wanna know how to get started in kink? And you’ve never tried it before, so you haven’t even passed ‘Go’ yet. You wanna know about classes and mentors, which is great! A working knowledge of kink will help you out a lot more than just book smarts.  _ But _ with all of this in mind… You have no clue where to start cuz you’ve never explored this side of yourself before. Did I get all of it?”

“W-well, I mean, h-hypothetically... speaking… ja. You did,” Caleb admitted, his thumb running across a spinner ring on his middle finger as the deep blush on his face didn’t recede at all. Molly flicked his tail in amusement, and part of him wanted to just up and offer Caleb himself as a private mentor, but maybe that would come off a bit too strongly. Much as he would  _ love _ to see just how many ways he could he could bring that beautiful man to subspace, moaning his name, he knew there would need to be more trust in place first. Caleb was nothing short of an anxious mess and he would need to be eased into BDSM as carefully as possible.

Molly nodded sagely while Caleb distracted himself with another sip from his coffee. Once the mug had been set back down, Molly cleared his throat. “Alrighty. So to start, I really think you should go to one of the BDSM 101 classes at Revelry. I know I talked about them on Friday and you already got a good 70% of what’s in them just from my interview, but they’re  _ super _ comprehensive and easy to understand. They’re made for beginners.”

Caleb nodded, taking a few more calming breaths, and then pulled out a little paper planner. Molly rarely saw anyone use one of those instead of a phone calendar anymore, and frankly, it was terribly endearing. “Right… You said they were the first Thursday of each month? So that would mean April’s has already passed…”

“Yeah, next one’s a couple weeks out yet.” Molly confirmed with a nod. “I know it’s close to finals, but you should totally come if you can! Jester’s teaching this time around and she’s amazing, you’ll love her.” Molly said with a smile as he rested his chin on his hands, his tail waving on the seat of the booth beside him.

“And ah, how often do you teach the class…?” Caleb asked, digging through his bag once more to retrieve a pair of reading glasses that he pushed onto his face before starting to scribble into his notebook.

“I taught this most recent one actually, and because of finals and pride I’m not gonna be teaching the next two, but I’ll be running the one in July!” Molly said with a smile. In a split second, decided to toss a line to see if Caleb might take some bait. “I know it’s a way’s out yet and you’re eager to learn, but I’d be more than happy to have you in my class,” he said with only a light purr and the most innocent smile he could muster.

Caleb, who had grabbed his coffee with one hand as he took notes, promptly choked on the drink he was swallowing and half spit it back into the cup, his eyes wide.

_ ‘Shit,’  _ Molly thought.  _ ‘Too fast.’ _

“Shit, sorry, you okay?” Molly asked as Caleb coughed, leaning across the table with concern. Caleb held up a hand and nodded despite his spluttering and took an uninterrupted sip of his coffee to quell the cough.

“J-ja, I’m fine, sorry, it is not your fault. It just ah, went down the wrong way,” he stumbled, and Molly wasn’t sure if he should be hurt or flattered that Caleb was trying to make it seem like just a coincidence and not a result of what Molly had suggested.

“Right, yeah, um, so long as you’re alright…” Molly trailed off awkwardly, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth for a moment. He really did feel bad—if he scared Caleb off by coming on too strongly before he even had a chance to give BDSM a try, he’d never forgive himself.

Caleb nodded, wiped his mouth on a napkin, and turned his attention back to his planner. “A-anyways… I think, you also mentioned discussion or support groups? What are those like?”

“Oh! Yeah, those are also a thing! They’re usually geared towards folks who are a little more experienced or knowledgeable, but they can be a really great opportunity to learn from peers. There’s one at the LGBT+ center downtown every other Monday. Usually they assign a topic and everyone can talk about their experiences with it from different positions and points of view. Sometimes we have open discussions where we can ask each other questions or for support—it’s a really positive environment.” Molly’s smile had returned now that he sensed Caleb was calming down again, and damn, he looked  _ so _ fucking handsome in those glasses—

No. Now was not the time for that. Now was for educating and answering questions and not pushing his own interests or infatuations. He could tone down the flirting. It wasn’t  _ that _ hard to do.

Caleb was nodding along as he spoke, jotting down more notes. Out of curiosity, Molly tried to read the page upside-down—and had to stop himself from laughing because of  _ course _ the notes were in German. Getting to know little details about Caleb’s life wasn’t gonna be as easy as he’d hoped.

“And as far as other ways to get started in the community, well, checking out a munch is a good way to meet people. The ones here are always publicly accessible and include alcohol. Plus, I’m one of the safety-greeters, so there’s  _ no way _ you’re gonna get hit on by any creeps.” Molly flashed him a grin, slightly tamer this time, but nonetheless sincere.

Caleb paused in his writing then, tipping his head as he looked up at Molly with a slightly confused expression. “Safety-greeters? What… why are you that? Why is there need for that at an event in a public space?”

The tiefling felt his claws digging into the wood on the underside of the table, and his tail gave a slightly agitated thump against the seat— Caleb looked like a fucking  _ puppy _ when he tipped his head like that and it wasn’t fucking  _ fair _ that he was so cute, what the hells—

“Mollymauk?” Caleb interrupted his thoughts and Molly blinked, his cheeks staining a more violet-purple as he realized he hadn’t been paying attention.

“Right, sorry! So—safety-greeters! That’s something I do a lot! The munches are always in a public space, because they’re meant to be inviting to everyone. Unfortunately, that also means there are some newcomers who are not so nice, or who haven’t learned anything about consent or boundaries beyond what they read in 50 Shades,” Molly explained, rolling his eyes at the mention of the offensive series. “I’m there to stop those creepy people. I give them a warning, and if they don’t comply, I ask them to leave.”

“What if they don’t?” Caleb asked, and part of Molly was pleased that he was becoming more interested and engaged in the conversation, similar to how he had been during the interview.

“If they don’t, then my friend Yasha removes them. End of story.”

“Ah, I see…” Caleb said with a nod. He scribbled down a few more notes, finished off the last of his coffee, and closed his notebook. Molly raised his eyebrows and sat up in his seat a bit.

“Got everything you needed?” he asked.

“Ja, um, I think so. Thank you, Mollymauk, for all your help.”

“Not a problem, darling.” He beamed, his tail flicking happily. He was glad for any opportunity to talk with Caleb, truthfully, and teaching him about kink was even more fun. But at the same time, he was a bit disappointed that it looked like their little date was drawing to a close. He wanted to spend more time with the man, get to know him better, learn about his life and his hobbies and—fuck, he got this crush  _ really badly. _

Caleb gave him a smile in return, stood up, and started towards the counter to pay for the drinks before Molly grabbed his wrist. The man flinched, and Molly knew instantly how stupid he’d been. “Shit, sorry, I shouldn’t have—I just—I was gonna pay for the coffee, Caleb,” he said, releasing the man’s wrist as quickly as he had grabbed it. Caleb, to his credit, didn’t look too upset.

“Ah, that… it is alright, Mollymauk. You didn’t hurt me, I was only caught off guard.” He rubbed at his wrist absently, and Molly felt the pit of despair opening in his stomach. He fucked up. They weren’t even on a real date and he’d already fucked up. He stood from the table and awkwardly stepped around Caleb to go to the register himself.

“Here, um, just, let me, okay? I’m uh, glad I could help.” He stumbled over his words and dug his wallet out of his pocket, turning to the cashier for a bit of respite from Caleb’s bright blue gaze.

When he’d finished, he turned back to face Caleb, only to see the ginger heading out the door. Molly felt a pang in his chest, and he quickly rushed out after him, not wanting this night to end on a bad note. “Caleb, wait!” he called, the café door swinging shut behind him. The man paused and turned back to look at Molly, confusion on his face. Molly approached, but kept a few feet of respectful distance between them. “I’m sorry I grabbed you like that. I shouldn’t have touched you without permission. I wasn’t thinking, and that was wrong of me.”

Caleb blinked at him, surprise coloring his expression. “… Oh,” he said, and Mollymauk did his best to stand firmly by his statement. “Molly… may I touch your hands?”

The question was so simple and unexpected, it was Molly’s turn to blink in surprise. “Oh. Uh, yeah. Absolutely Caleb.”

The ginger stepped forward hesitantly then, closing the gap between them. He took Molly’s hands in his and gave them a small, reassuring squeeze. “Thank you, Mollymauk. I enjoyed talking with you.” Caleb flashed him one more tiny smile before letting go and walking off into the dark towards the bus stop. Molly stared after him as his heart did a little flip in his chest.

Oh, he had already fallen for this man. He’d fallen  _ hard. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to @AiraKay for being such a fantastic beta for this chapter and this entire fic so far!  
> Catch me on the Widomauk Discord server, where everyone is a big fat enabler and I love them for it. Comments & Kudos feed the kink brain! <3
> 
> PS: If you think I should add any more tags, please don't be shy to request that I do! I want to make sure everyone is comfortable and aware of what they're getting into reading this fic.


	4. Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to @Keefling for beta-ing this chapter for me!

The rest of the month of April passed with little excitement. Caleb had kept up with all of the Pride-themed broadcasts, covering everything from Bi-Pan Erasure to Non-Binary Identities, Polyamory to Stonewall. Molly would text him occasionally, and he would respond when he had the nerve to do so. It was always simple, friendly. Caleb still wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the tiefling, but he couldn’t deny that he was quite attractive. They didn’t meet up again, but that didn’t mean that Caleb had forgotten about what they had discussed.

When May came, he was ready. Even with finals around the corner, he’d been waiting for this for nearly a month now. He was out of class early on Thursday evening and even went so far as to take a hot shower and pick out some of his nicer clothes to wear—this cardigan wasn’t even threadbare. Caleb was on Willow Street at 6:54pm, standing on the sidewalk just a few buildings up from Club Revelry. This was when his anxiety was at its worst—the anticipation of going through with or completely abandoning his plans always left him teetering on a fence of uncertainty. He fidgeted with his phone for another two minutes, then took a deep breath. Molly wouldn’t be here. Even Beau wouldn’t be here, out on an emergency call to the theater. He doubted that anyone he knew would be here at all; or at least, that was what he hoped.

At 6:59pm, Caleb Widogast finally sucked up the courage to step through the doors of Club Revelry. The atmosphere was significantly quieter than he had been expecting—there were no bright lights nor blaring music. The interior was mostly black, but the house lights were up, making it easy to navigate. There was a simple sign posted just inside the entrance with an arrow pointing to the left, labeled “BDSM 101 CLASS: LOUNGE, 7PM.”

Caleb followed the arrow, coming around a corner to see an open floor plan that led to a collection of plush couches and chairs that were more or less set in a semicircle around a large, low table. There were a few people sitting in some of the seats who Caleb assumed were patrons, and at the head of the semicircle was the effeminate blue tiefling he remembered seeing on the club’s webpage. She was dressed in a frilled black skirt that billowed out from her hips, with a bubblegum pink button-up shirt tucked into the waistband. She had rolled up the sleeves to just above her elbows, and the top few buttons were left open to reveal teasing little flashes of her lacy white bra. Caleb found it hard not to stare, a blush coloring his face.

He hesitated a moment longer, then approached the little group of seats, and sat in a chair that had room only for himself. It was impossible to will the tension out of his body, so he just kept quiet, hoping that not too much attention would fall on him.

His hopes were in vain, of course, because the blue tiefling beamed with excitement and waved as soon as she saw him sit down.

“Hi there, newcomer, welcome to Revelry! Are you here for the claaaass?” she called to him, her voice sing-song with a decidedly Slavic accent. Caleb nodded and hesitantly raised a hand to wave back at her, trying to push some semblance of a smile onto his face—but there was only so much success he could have with that when he was damn near terrified of this situation.

“Well, welcome! What’s your naaame?” she purred, still beaming, and Caleb wasn’t sure if she was purposefully ignoring his shyness or was just oblivious to it.

“Caleb. I’m, um, Caleb. Ja,” he said uncertainly, feeling the curious eyes of the other patrons on him. He was already regretting this little outing, and desperately wished the chair would swallow him whole.

“Oh my gosh, Caleb! Caleb from Desert Vibes?!” the tiefling enthused, her eyes going wide. Caleb felt himself sink even lower into his seat.

“J-ja, that’s me…” he said, desperately hoping the attention would drop off of him quickly. The tiefling squealed with delight, however, and bounced on her feet.

“Ohhh I’m so glad you came, Cay-leb! Your interview with Molly was SO good, and he’s told me  _ so much _ about you!” she warbled out, beaming brightly at him. “Oh! I’m Jester, by the way! I’m teaching the class tonight! If you want any snacks or something to drink, Fjord is at the bar,” she said, addressing the full group of patrons now before nodding in the direction of the bar against the back wall. A tall, blueish-green half-orc gentleman stood behind it, wiping glasses dry and preparing for the evening. He nodded back at Jester in acknowledgement without pausing his work.

“So! Any questions before we get started?” Jester asked, making a point of making eye contact with each individual attendee of the class. When no one raised their hands or moved to speak, she clapped her hands together with a smile. “Alrighty then! Let’s get started! First, we’re gonna cover the definitions of the BDSM acronym!”

 

* * *

 

 

Mercifully, the class went by relatively without incident for Caleb. Mollymauk had been right when he said that he’d already covered most of the class information in his interview, but it was nice to hear it from a different voice with different perspectives. Jester had also touched on a few other things, like local play parties and dungeon rules, as well as the rules of the club itself. The attendees of the class were all welcomed to stay and enjoy the club in full swing as the class ended and the club was prepared to open. Caleb was about to slip away and make his exit when Jester herself popped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Oh, Caleb! Won’t you stay for the club to open properly?! I’ve just been  _ dying _ to meet you after everything Molly’s said and I wanna show you around, give you a little tour!” She beamed at him, her tail swishing excitedly behind her.

Caleb froze for a moment, frantically trying to come up with an excuse to leave, but Jester was looking at him with such eagerness and oh, there was a flash of purple out of the corner of his eye—Molly was here now, too, getting ready for the evening shift—though thankfully it didn’t seem as though the other tiefling had noticed him. “U-um, alright, Jester. I’ll stay,” Caleb said finally, giving her a small smile, and the blue tiefling looked as though she might burst with happiness.

“Ohhh I’m so excited!” Jester enthused, her whole body giving a little wiggle to emphasize her words. Objectively, Caleb really couldn’t deny that she was adorable in her own way. “C’mon Caleb, d’you want something to drink? We can start at the bar!” Before he’d even had a chance to say ‘yes’, she was leading the way through the slowly growing crowd to the bar where the tall half-orc was now starting to pour shots.

Caleb awkwardly said hello to the half-orc and earned a polite ‘howdy’ in return. He certainly didn’t want to start off with anything heavy, so he simply got a screwdriver and nothing more. With his drink in hand, Jester led him on through to the dance floor where the DJ, a tall dark-skinned human with a shock of white hair, was warming up. Caleb didn’t wander too close; the loudness already blaring from the speakers was a bit too much for him. Blessedly, Jester seemed to notice his reluctance and didn’t try to introduce him to the human at the booth.

When they were out of direct range of the speakers, Jester gestured back at the man. “That’s Shakäste,” she said, her voice raised above the din, “He’s only like, the coolest DJ  _ ever!” _

The white-haired man nodded and smiled at her, and she beamed back with a wave.

“Alright alright alright my friends, welcome to Club Revelry. I do believe it is time to get this night underway. Come on in and get yourselves comfortable on my floor, honeys. Let Shakäste set the  _ mood _ and set your feet on  _ fire." _

The smooth, bass-y voice poured over the sound system, and Caleb was actually surprised at how a man who appeared to be so old could sound so good. There was a resounding cheer from the patrons already gathering before the booth and the music turned up, the bass thumping steadily away.

Still moving right along, Jester led Caleb past the tall barred cages he had seen on the website and away from the dance floor. The dwarven twins he had seen online were in two cages opposite from each other, their hips spinning rhythmically in time with the music. Caleb was entranced by them, and Jester had to tug his wrist to keep him moving. If not for the vodka already in his system, Caleb might have flinched away from the contact—but as it were, he followed the tiefling along easily.

She led him to another open space, but this one was tucked into a sort of cove with walls on three sides, making it a bit more secluded while still being part of the rest of the club. There, towards the center of the back wall, was the St. Andrew’s Cross, complete with restraining cuffs. As he looked on, a slender half-elf dressed mostly in black made adjustments to the cuffs while a halfling couple waited eagerly.

“This is the main playspace!” Jester explained, making a sweeping motion with her arms to show off the area. There were two oddly-shaped benches in the space as well, one with a gnome bent over it and about to receive what looked to be a thorough spanking from an eager Tabaxi partner. Caleb quickly looked away, a blush coloring his cheeks. He was suddenly thankful for the dark lighting that had kicked in once the club had opened properly, knowing that Jester would’ve been able to see every emotion on his face plain as day had the work lights been on.

Jester continued to give him a tour, pointing out the bathrooms and introducing him to every employee she managed to snag. Caleb’s head was spinning with names and titles and things and songs—there was  _ no way _ he would be able to remember at all, but he supposed he could have some appreciation for Jester’s enthusiasm. He hadn’t exactly been very outspoken during her class, but clearly she had picked up on his curiosity from the interview he had done with Molly.

_ Molly. _

When Caleb remembered the whole reason why he had come to the club in the first place, he paused in thought. He had only seen the exceptionally colorful tiefling once that evening, and only in passing. He was suddenly overwhelmed with curiosity, wondering what sort of work Molly was doing that could be keeping him so busy and out of sight. Caleb moved close to Jester, raising his voice so that he could be heard. “Mollymauk is working tonight, ja? Where is he?”

“Oh, of course!” Jester said. She glanced about and when she didn’t spot Molly immediately, she quickly pulled out her phone to look at the time. Immediately her eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh! Oh my gosh it’s almost his demo time! C’mon Caleb, let’s go upstairs!” she said, her tail waving with enthusiasm.   
  
“Ah? Alright…” Caleb followed her with a touch of confusion.  _ What was demo time? _

The blue tiefling let him up a slowly spiraling set of stairs, up to the second floor of the club. It was more of a balcony or mezzanine level, really, as it seemed to only stretch around the outer walls of the building, with patrons relaxing either in chairs against the walls or leaned up against the wrought-iron balcony railing. Below, most of the club could still be seen, the dance floor now packed and the bar hopping enough for another hand to have joined in to help. The only thing not visible from above was the playspace, and something in Caleb was quite thankful for that.

Jester seemed to know exactly where to find Molly, even though Caleb hadn’t been able to spot the purple tiefling just yet. She led him with purpose to a little seating area to the side of a more open area and guided him to a couch. “Here, get comfy! The show’s gonna start  _ real soon _ , I promise!” she said with a giggle. Caleb sat down with a mix of confusion and apprehension, but as soon as he leaned back in the seat, Shakäste’s voice came rumbling over the speakers again.

“Alright my beautiful people, it is that time of night. Our first demo of the evening will be happening on the Balcony Stage in just a moment, starring our very own lovely professionals, Moony and Song. Lets give these fine folks a welcoming round of applause and bring the lights down low, shall we?”

Another cheer went up from the crowd, and right on command, the lighting coming from the dancefloor shifted to a soft yellow, bathing the entire space in a golden glow. The music slowed to a stop before a new song came on—one that Caleb recognized.

As the drum beat of  _ ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ _ started playing, two horned figures came into view, partly silhouetted by the golden light. One was the minty-green tiefling with antelope horns that Caleb had been introduced to earlier as Amhrán, wearing nothing but a sheer black pair of harem pants that were open in the back, exposing his ass, covered only by a pair of tight royal blue and white briefs. He stepped up onto what looked like a small stage and tugged something down from the ceiling, and Caleb swallowed nervously when he saw the manacles that were revealed.

The other figure stepped onto the stage then, taking the manacles into his hands. Ram’s horns, curly plum-colored hair, covered in jewelry and tattoos—unmistakably Mollymauk. Everything he was wearing was black, but in such a way that it contrasted beautifully with his skin. He had a crop top on that had a turtleneck but no sleeves, leaving his well-decorated arms and torso bare. Caleb’s eyes followed those tattoos down, down, to where a tight pair of leather pants hung low on Molly’s hips, showing every beautiful line and curve of his abdomen before hugging his thighs and plunging down. The boots weren’t particularly fancy, but they were truly the icing on the cake. They ran all the way up to his knees, laced up the back with hot pink ribbon, and wicked heels that gave him a bit more height than usual.

In one word, Mollymauk Tealeaf was  _ stunning. _ So much so that Caleb was fixated on him immediately and sitting forward in his seat. As he watched, Molly took the manacles and fastened them to Amhrán’s wrists, locking them securely and storing the key in the pocket of his own pants. He took the other end of the chain that dangled freely a few feet from the stage and tugged until Amhrán’s hands were raised fully above his head and about half of his weight was held by the chain. The mint tiefling lifted his tail and held it in his hands by the spade, leaving his ass an easy target.

Molly stepped back onto the stage then, the guitar chords of the song having started playing while stringing up the other tiefling. He leaned in and exchanged a few words with Amhrán, then retrieved a flogger from a nearby table. It had nine tails and looked to be made of some kind of heavy cord, with a round knot tied at the end of each tail. Molly made a few warming-up motions with his wrists, and as the crooning voice started singing the song’s lyrics, he landed a series of hits on Amhrán’s rear end with a flourish. Caleb gasped softly, but the green tiefling seemed unaffected, and so he continued to watch.

Every line of the song was punctuated by cracks of the flogger against skin, though they didn’t seem too severe. Molly was illuminated in gold, a demonic silhouette with soft yellow light highlighting his facial features and making his jewelry shine. He was deeply focused on what he was doing, giving breaks and starting up again, his body language careful and composed. When the first hook came up, he stepped back from his subject and gave his ass a gentle squeeze, then returned to the table. He came back with a second flogger, matching the first one, and Caleb sucked in a breath as he watched, utterly transfixed.

_ “Crawlin’ back to you, _

_ Ever thought of callin’ when you’ve had a few? _

_ ‘Cause I always do.” _

Molly spun the dual floggers effortlessly, landing expert hits on the flesh exposed to him, going down thighs and back up without pause. They landed with heavier thuds now, more strength behind them, and Caleb could see Amhrán’s back arching as his mouth fell open with cries of… ecstasy. He was enjoying this.

And as soon as the first chorus tapered off, Molly was there behind him with the floggers lowered, an arm wrapped tightly around the other tiefling’s chest as he held him close against him and spoke words in his ear. Amhrán nodded and Molly smiled, giving his cheek a kiss and running his hand over his back a few times before raising the floggers yet again and going back to work. His movements were faster now, smoother, the tools spinning effortlessly in his hands until hits were landing one after the other without pause. And every time the music slowed, Molly was back at Amhrán’s ear again, checking in. Rubbing his ass, putting a hand on his shoulder, or caressing his side. Every time, he would wait for a nod of acknowledgement before continuing. Every time, his movements were controlled, precise, and practiced.

Caleb had been watching, utterly hypnotized, and didn’t even notice how tall the tent in his pants had become until suddenly the song was ending and Molly had dropped the floggers entirely. Slowly, the purple tiefling released the tension on the chain, and when Amhrán was back on his full weight Molly was there to catch him in his arms as he slumped forward a bit. He swiftly unlocked the manacles and let them dangle free, wrapping Amhrán in his arms as the crowd applauded politely.

Molly had his arms wrapped around the mint green tiefling’s shoulders, supporting and guiding him down off the stage, all the while rubbing soothing circles into his skin. Caleb bit his lip, unable to stop himself from staring at the deep teal bruises that were blooming on Amhrán’s ass and thighs. Part of him wondered what it would feel like to have marks like those. Another part of him wondered what it would feel like to  _ leave _ those kinds of marks on someone else. On Molly.

Just like that, the colorful pair disappeared through one of the ‘Staff Only’ doors, no doubt to rest and recover after the scene. Caleb was shaken out of his train of thought by Jester bouncing excitedly at his side, and suddenly he was  _ very _ painfully aware of just how aroused he was.

“Caaaayleb! Wasn’t that  _ cool?!” _ Jester asked him, her tail whipping excitedly as she watched him for a reaction. Caleb’s cheeks were heating up so fast he felt almost dizzy.

“J-ja, um, it was,” he stumbled, the music and the number of people around him suddenly crushing in. “Ah, Jester, could you—where is the restroom?” Caleb asked her quickly, his words coming out in a rush.

“Oh! All that alcohol burning through, huh?” Jester asked with a giggle, and then she pointed to a door across the corner of the balcony from where they were currently seated. “It’s right over there!”

Caleb thanked her and excused himself, making a beeline for the restroom. It felt as though all of the vodka had gone to his head at once and he was struggling to keep his balance as he burst through the door and stumbled into a stall. He slammed the door shut behind him and hunched over the toilet bowl, trying not to vomit. His cock absolutely  _ ached _ in his trousers, and that knowledge made him squirm with discomfort. The last place he wanted to have an erection was in the middle of a kinky nightclub when he had no experience and no partner to keep an eye on him.

Caleb did his best to take deep breaths, fighting down the nausea. His panic was starting to subside, but another patron—or multiple patrons—had entered the bathroom now, and they were doing… something. Caleb didn’t want to think about what that was as they fell into the stall next to his, moans filling the space. Hurriedly he slipped back out of the bathroom, his mind focused on getting down the stairs and out of the club as fast as he could.

Blessedly, Caleb managed to do just that without running into Jester or any of the other club staff who bothered to remember his name. If anyone had called out to him as he left, he didn’t hear them. As soon as Caleb was outside, he inhaled a gasping breath of the cold night air, letting it flood his lungs and clear his head. He dug his phone out of his pocket and ordered a ride, not trusting himself to be able to handle the multitudes of people that might be on the bus at this time of night.

Frumpkin was at the door, chirping and purring excitedly as soon as Caleb got home. He scooped up his cat and buried his face in the soft fur, inhaling deeply while Frumpkin head butted against him happily. He dropped his keys on the floor with a clatter and leaned heavily against the door behind him.

“Hallo, mein Freund…” he said softly, sighing as he sagged where he stood. “It’s been… a very long day. Let’s just get to sleep, ja?” The cat meowed happily as though in answer, and Caleb’s lips tugged in an exhausted smile. No matter what kind of day he’d had, he could always count on Frumpkin to be by his side.

Now his only struggle was figuring out what the hell to do about the tent in his pants that just refused to leave as he heard Amhrán’s moans faintly in the back of his mind. He wanted to scream his frustration as he tried to shake his head clear.

He wanted to make Molly moan like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with... Current events as they are standing in the series, it's been more difficult for me to focus my energy into content for this ship. Don't get me wrong: I will still ship Widomauk till the day I die! But I'm past the denial phase of grief now and kinda just, uh, hurting. A lot. I do still plan to continue this fic and I haven't completely given up hope on canon, but the updates are just going to be slower to come these days.
> 
> Regardless, I do hope you enjoy this chapter and this fic. Kudos and comments are, as always, greatly appreciated. <3

**Author's Note:**

> The premise is set, the lights are low, the mics are on. I was going to wait until I had more written out to post this, but again, I think we as a fandom are having a bit of a rough week. I don't have this one quite as thoroughly planned out as Moonstruck was when I started it, but I know roughly where I'm going with it and what scenes I want to create. Please enjoy, and leave comments and kudos to feed the Kink-O-Matic brain machine. <3


End file.
